Pierrot
by Mitsukai Kanashimi
Summary: "To me; you're only a Pierrot… After all, a frowning Pierrot could still make someone happy."


Darkness shrouded the pale figure of a silver-haired boy who had fallen face-down into what seemed like an endless array of pitch-black. Sapphire eyes opened themselves slowly to find nothing; not even a trace of light anywhere. Looking up, the boy could sense a feeling of being trapped in the darkness, as there was obviously no way out of the place. He didn't even know how he got in there, although he did remember falling continuously into barren nothingness.

Soft giggles could be heard from the distance, which he incoherently ignored. He knew he was the only one trapped in the place, so any sound apart from his feet stomping heavily on the darkness below him was a product of his imagination.

Shear blackness continued to conjure him as he walked on and on in search of a possible exit. However, the farther he walked, the louder the giggles seemed to be. He stopped for a moment and turned around. There was nobody… not even a trace of life. Or maybe…

_No,_ the boy thought to himself as he resumed his pace. The giggles continued once again – a soft, gentle sound which was fixed into a tune which seemed to mock him. Somebody else was there… He was now very sure of it. He only had to find the perfect way to locate the source, which was currently following him like a shadow.

He continued walking… running. The giggles now sounded like an annoying, repetitive tune ringing in his head. When he knew he had reached a fair range, he turned around to find a little girl.

_Probably no older than thirteen,_ he estimated, looking directly into a pair of amethyst orbs. The girl was wearing a long purple dress, which ended in a series of ruffles. It had short, puffy sleeves edged with black hemming. Her purple hair fell precisely on her shoulders and was topped with a purple beret that covered most of her head, giving her a more childish look.

_Well, at least she doesn't look like she's emerged from a battlefield,_ the boy contemplated as he looked down on his own clothes – a black shirt and a pair of steel-blue trousers. He was also wearing a head gear of some sort, but he couldn't really make out what it looked like.

"Who… are you?" was all he could muster after minutes of thinking. He watched as she began taking small steps towards him… circling him slowly… observing him in a strange way.

"Who…are you?" she asked in the same manner he did, stopping to look at the ground. She smiled playfully as though she wasn't worried about being stranded in the middle of a very mind-twisting nowhere. She began circling him once more, giggling, running…

"I was asking you a question," the boy said firmly as his eyes trailed the mysterious girl's movements. The girl paid him no heed and simply continued running in what seemed like an endless race track. "Hey! I'm still here you know?"

"No," the girl replied bluntly, giggling a little and skipping a few times before adding, "You're not real."

"Oh, so what am I now? A stranger like you are?" The boy jerked angrily, his eyes falling on the pitch-black ground as if waiting for it to drag him down. The girl stopped momentarily to examine him, slowly pulling his head to meet her gaze. The boy stared back hesitantly into her amethyst orbs which were filled with curiosity, happiness and other immature values a mere child would usually possess.

"Do _you_ want to be a stranger?" she suddenly asked, taking a few steps back as she released him, and waited for his answer. He shook his head calmly but doubtlessly, and was very surprised when she offered her small hand to him.

"My name is Arme," the girl informed, tilting her head to the side after brushing invisible dust off her dress. "What's yours, stranger?"

"Lass," the boy replied, sluggishly taking her hand. She quietly led him once more into the never-ending darkness. The deeper they went, the more visible the shapes of the rotting corpses became. Lass suddenly wished he was basking in nothingness again, as the sight before him was too much for him to handle. Monsters of all sorts were feasting on the flesh of the unfortunate humans who had fallen victim to them.

"What do you see?" Arme asked looking at him with eyes that were open with curiosity. Her lips were fixed into a keen smile, which very much didn't fit with the environment.

"I see skeletons… corpses… monsters," Lass retorted grimly, making Arme retract her hand. The gleeful expression on her face was quickly replaced with a slightly murderous stare.

"What else?" she questioned as she backed away as if she had just gotten into the worst situation ever.

"I see," he paused for a moment, eyes widening in shock. "Myself."

Without warning, Arme suddenly lashed at him with a knife, injuring him on the shoulder. Pain immediately brimmed up his neck and forearms, causing him to scream out. He backed away a bit, clutching his shoulder tightly to hopefully stop the bleeding. Arme then pulled out a weapon of some sort from behind her, and it took a moment before Lass was able to identify it as a wand. She pointed the object at him and mouthed the words, "stone curse". Rocks slowly began building their way up his body, making him lose his mobility. The rocks then broke away, causing the boy to fall onto the ground, partly unconscious. Arme gazed at him as if she was regretting her actions and knelt beside him, muttering the words "Cure". Lass could only feel a slight pressure on his shoulder and when he opened his eyes, he was back in nowhere. Arme was gone.

"God, why is this happening to me?" Lass yelled, feeling a pair of hands pulling him back to his initial position. Turning to his left, he met a pair of amethyst orbs, causing him to sigh in relief.

"The things you saw earlier were your memories," Arme stated, moving away from him slowly. "Judging from what you said, I could tell you used to be a murderer. As for the monsters, I don't know a thing about them. Perhaps you were working for someone who was capable of controlling such beasts."

"Perhaps…" Lass started as he hefted himself up to a sitting position. "Perhaps you shouldn't have brought me to that area."

"Sorry," Arme muttered, looking away shyly. "You seemed desperate to find your memories."

"I was desperate alright," Lass told her. "I was desperate for a way out of here! And you just happened to drop by and lash at me for no apparent reason!"

"But I-"

"The things you showed me earlier were a bunch of memories I so wanted to forget! And what's worse is that I still couldn't find the heck out of this stupid place! Do you expect me to stay here forever? I have a home you know!" Lass stopped to catch his breath, ignoring Arme's frantic sobs. Glancing shortly at her, he suddenly felt guilty for saying such things.

_Damn it. Of course she would be looking for a way out too… She's also human… Furthermore, she's only a kid, _Lass thought moving towards the somber girl. "Look, I'm sorry… It's just that I'm a bit depressed right now so-"

"I couldn't do anything to help," she stated very carefully as if she regretted existing. After wiping her tears, she added, "Could you do me a favor? Could you kill me?"

Lass blinked, decisively. He suddenly knew why she was trying to get his attention through her annoying giggles – his desperation had attracted her, so she followed him to the extent of being discovered. And now that she knew his past, she may be guessing falsely that he wouldn't think twice in killing her, after all, he used to be a murderer.

"I… You actually want me to kill you?" Lass asked as he positioned himself behind her, right after he ceased the knife she was holding earlier, flipping it horizontally and pressing it against her throat. "You see, Arme. That's-"

"Just kill me already," Arme stated, smiling inwardly. "I don't like it here."

"…Even when I'm around?" Lass asked, smirking when he earned a gulp from the girl.

"I'm not so sure about that," Arme replied, realizing instantly that she hadn't been breathing for a while. She then inhaled heavily in an attempt to stay calm.

"Why?" Lass questioned as he then slid the knife back into Arme's small hand. "Listen, if there's one thing I know about you, it's the fact that you're a human like I am. You're not a ghostly girl who has magically appeared in the middle of nowhere. You're a human… a living, breathing human with memories, and a life to pursue in the real world. Why would I kill you?"

"Because you're simply an entity my mind could command."

"Don't give me that load of crap," Lass interjected, a tone of seriousness swiftly drifting away from his voice. "I know what you're doing. You want to die so badly that when you see the chance, you'd grab it. You're quite an opportunist, Arme."

"That's not the reason-"

"Of course it is! Wanting to die is the main reason why we're both here in the first place!" Lass yelled, regaining his repose shortly afterwards. "I don't want to lose you, Arme." Lass' eyes snapped wide open after hearing his words.

Arme began to chuckle, her soft, gentle voice echoing into the vast nothingness. "Are you serious? You let yourself fall too quickly, stranger! To me, you're simply a clown I could play with…" – she paused for a moment, her wide grin folding into a smile – ""To me; you're only a Pierrot… After all, a frowning Pierrot could still make someone happy." The girl then wrapped her arms around herself, as if awaiting rejection.

For minutes, there was only silence, but that was shattered when the darkness below them began to form cracks like a huge, black mirror piecing itself away little by little. Shards of luminous ebony began falling into the depths of a seemingly bottomless pit. Lass paced backwards while staring at the cracks which were coming straight towards him. He turned around to grab Arme so that they could both run as far as they could away from the dissolving darkness, but to his dismay, the girl wasn't there anymore. In her place were more visible cracks and a huge hole. Lass knew that there was no way out but falling once again into barren nothingness, so he allowed the cracks to surround him before the ground underneath him gave way. He fell quickly… too quickly for him to even prepare himself. The fall lasted for seconds before he caught sight of what seemed to be a really huge chess board, except that the pieces were nowhere to be found. The impact when he hit solid ground barely even bruised him, but it did hurt him a bit. After he helped himself up to a standing position, his eyes deliberately scanned the place for a sign of the purple-haired girl. He took a careful step forward, only to find himself walking over a small hand, its owner being the person he was looking for.

"Ouch," the girl said in a hush followed by a giggle. "Look where you're stepping, pierrot."

Arme stood up shakily, eyes brimming with curiosity. "This place looks familiar."

The girl walked around, observing the checkered tiles which seemed to go on and on. Gigantic red walls surrounded the farthest edges of the place. The ceiling had a very life-like fresco featuring angels playing all sorts of musical instruments, and the hole from which they both fell was replaced with a huge, crystalline chandelier. Whispers and laughter could be heard from above, sending Arme in a state of amusement and shock.

"_We have a playmate…"_

"_We have _two_ playmates…"_

"What on earth?" Arme muttered to herself, backing away little by little. One by one, toys of all sorts began to appear – teddy bears, rag dolls, music boxes, and marionettes. All of which were enormous, and very much alive.

"_Arme… Welcome home,"_ a rag doll made of ivory cried out. Her ruffled blonde hair fell into tiny ringlets that touched the floor and her bangs covered a vibrant pair of golden eyes each made of porcelain. _"Is that a new toy you brought with you? Is he better than us? Are you gonna abandon us now?"_

"_Please don't abandon us,"_ a purple cat holding two cards stated in a low, dry voice. "_We love you, Arme…"_

Arme shot Lass a helpless gaze, as if asking him to kill her on the spot. The boy's mouth gaped open in response. He didn't know what to do.

"_Ha-ha! He's clueless! He's clueless!" _A red headed doll chanted, shooting ruby eyes towards Lass. "_The poor clown is clueless!"_

"_What a useless little pierrot. He doesn't know how to make our precious Arme happy," _A puppet with dark blue hair who was wearing a top hat said.

"_We should tear him apart… He's nothing but trash!" _A teddy bear suggested.

"_No! He's a friend! We should give him a chance!" _A bunny retorted, automatically starting a long, noisy debate – rag dolls chattered away, puppets clapped, and music boxes played a bunch of twisted tunes. It was pure chaos in one place and it only stopped when everyone (or more appropriately, every_thing)_ heard a small _slash._ Arme fell on the ground, eyes widening in what might have been fear and disbelief. Her knife, now stained with blood, slid slowly out of her hand as her purple robe sluggishly took on a beautiful shade of red. The pinkish color on her face began to fade away as amethyst eyes shut themselves gradually.

As fast as they reappeared, the gigantic toys dissolved along with the floor, the ceiling and the walls, revealing nothing but darkness.

Lass ran over to Arme's body wrapped his hands around her as if it was the end of the world for him. In a short moment, all he could hear was his own breathing, and then he started to make out a soft stomping from the distance. Lass looked up to find a walking doll with long blue hair. She was wearing a pair of glasses and wielding a huge hammer. The doll halted to give Lass a rather emotionless gaze and threw a potion at the boy before walking off the other direction.

Lass stared at the bottle which was filled with an unfamiliar, golden fluid inside then gazed back at Arme's fatal situation. The poor girl was barely even breathing. Instinctively, he grabbed the potion and took half of its contents. As careful as possible, he bent over so his lips grazed Arme's, instantly transferring the potion to her. The girl began to cough violently as Lass set her down on the ground which, surprisingly, wasn't dark anymore.

Fields of grass encompassed them, and the farther it went, the lesser the hope he had that they both had finally escaped the darkness. Dead trees began to grow on random places while tombstones appeared out of nowhere, along with insects and bones.

Arme huddled herself to Lass out of fear which was either caused by the surroundings or the faint whispers of the dead. Blood-curdling screams and the _whoosh_ing of trees added up to the eeriness of the environment.

"_One, two, four, five, and six…"_ A person nearby counted. "_Eleven, Fi- Argh! I have to start over again!"_

"Excuse me," Lass stated in a business-like manner. "Who are you? What is this place?"

The person looked at him, walking over in a slow, threatening pace. "_How dare you…?" _The person muttered, his figure becoming quite vivid as he drew closer. "_How dare you disrupt the peace of my realm?" _– The person took in a huge amount of air before adding – "Ah! Living people! You should both be dead if you wish to converse with me. No matter… I shall put an end to both your lives, right now!"

The person revealed himself completely – A pure monstrosity wearing a red hood and long striped robes. His mask was contorted into a frightening and angry expression. His eyes – a complete yellow – were thoroughly observing the two children. Upon seeing Arme, there was a rather rapid change in his demeanor, for his anger had dissolved along with his terrifying repose.

"My precious Arme, what brings you here to my realm?" The monster asked. "I am a Lich… a loyal one at that," he boasted before glancing over at Lass. "And who is this… grouchy man beside you? Is he a… friend?"

"Yes, he is," Arme replied calmly.

"Oh! You must be that useless clown the _others_ were talking about," the Lich announced, snapping his fingers. Almost instantly, the gallery of toys they had seen earlier appeared before them, except that they were of normal proportions.

"_Pierrot! Pierrot!" _The toys cheered. "_He couldn't make Arme happy! He couldn't! He couldn't!"_

"And what is this rubbish about you not making Arme happy, boy? Aren't you her friend?" The Lich questioned, looming closer to Lass. "Perhaps… You've disobeyed her?"

Arme went over to Lass and whispered in his ear. "Be careful. The Lich could tell if you're lying or not."

"Yes I have," Lass retorted, shooting a glare at the Lich. "But I did it because I wanted to protect her."

"Protect her? Nonsense, boy! Arme doesn't need to be protected! We're already doing that for her! What she really needs…" –The Lich paused once more, looking over at the silent rag dolls behind him – "… is to become one of them."

"_One of us! One of us!" _The dolls chanted as they crawled towards Arme who in turn hid behind Lass.

"S-Scary," the helpless girl muttered partly to herself. "They're all scary… Make them go away!"

"Our precious Arme wants to abandon us," The Lich announced. "She's replaced us with the useless… Pierrot."

The Lich then swung his staff at Lass who dodged it quickly. "My, oh my… What a lovely collection of bones you would make… "—The Lich sent a lightning bolt towards the boy – "So flexible… I could see the reason why my precious Arme loved you so much."

The fight continued for minutes. The Lich aimed, swung and shot lightning bolts again and again, laughing manically as Lass dodged each one of his attacks. Then, on spur of moment, a pinkette ragdoll began throwing rocks at the Lich, "_Stop necromancer! Arme is begging you to stop!_"

"She is…?" The Lich questioned, glancing over at Arme who was running frantically towards Lass. The boy was still standing, but he was already very weak.

"Arme… Do you _really_ want to abandon us just because _he_ exists?" The Lich asked, looming towards Arme and Lass.

"I don't want to abandon any of you! Please Lich, bring us back home! We both want to go back home! I promise I won't leave any of you out!" Arme stated in a distressful tone.

"She's… Telling the truth," the Lich cried out. "Our precious Arme is telling the truth!"

And within seconds, a bright light enveloped both Arme and Lass, sending them back to reality…

* * *

The soft rustling of leaves and the bright sunlight awoke a very sleepy Arme. She had finally returned to her cozy room, in the castle located at the heart of a town named Serdin. Her stuffed toys, including one of a Lich, were smiling down at her and she smiled back before snapping out of her daze.

_Please tell me he's alright,_ Arme thought as she ran to her bedroom door and swung it open to find the person she was about to visit in front of her.

"Lass!" She cried out, wrapping her arms around the boy. "I was worried about you!"

"Why would you be worried about me? I'm supposed to be the worried one here! I thought I left you behind in that piece of hell!" Lass retorted before looking away shyly. "Y-You… I guess we were having the same dream."

"I know, Pierrot," Arme muttered before giggling as Lass leaned over to plant a kiss on her lips.

* * *

_They were dreaming so it's obvious that this one-shot should be a little fast-paced, after all dreams are very strange and most of them tend to take a sudden turn of events very rapidly._

_Inspired by the Cheshire cat in the gacha event. When I saw that stupid cat, I remembered the abyss in Pandora hearts and how everything was so dark. _

_Thanks for reading!_


End file.
